Refrigerating device



' Filed Jan. Vsa, 1942 i fo' Patented Dec. 21, 1943 AUNITED STATES PATENT -oFFicE REFRJGERATING DEVICE Howard B. Gates, Columbia Cross Roads, Pa. Application January 9, 1942, serial No'. 426,217

(ci. .c2-104) 1 Claim.

the milk by means of water brought into contact with the cans, but eliminating much of the com- "plexity of prior apparatus and adding .greatly to the convenience of handling of the milk cans. Thus, my invention avoids the need for lifting cans over the edge of a deep vat, and permits the introduction and removal of the cans of milk by simple movement in a horizontal direction.

Another important aim is to reduce the amount of water which must be chilled in order to effect the transfer of heat thereto from the cans. A

still further object is to enable the construction important aim is to arrange the parts so that of the device in an extremely small size for the accommodation of a number of cans, as compared with prior practice.

It is an important aim of the invention to eiect a novel function in the cooling of the milk, by setting up .a thermo-circulation of the milk within the can in a more eiective manner than has heretofore been possible, to the end that a body of chilled milk does not tend to collect in the bottom of the can while warm milk may accumulate at the top.

A further important aim is to so construct the apparatus that it may be used without change, for refrigeration withv ice, or by mechanical refrigerating devices. A still further important aim is to present Ia construction whereinl liquid in contact with ice does not come in contact with the milk cans, and in which water chilled by refrigerating coils of a mechanical system does not come in contact with the cans, thus, in either case, avoiding liability of communication of bacterial cultures, or peculiar flavors or odors which sometimes are communicated or favored where the ice water or the Water from the cooling coils is brought in direct contact with milk cans.

A further aim is to enable the frequent replenishment of'the heat transfer water without involving special expense due to work expended in cooling such water. Another aim is to obviate the need for a water agitating device. A further with the milk cans after chilling.

construction of the device so that a quick changeover from operation by means of ice to operation of the same device by means of a compressor and expander mechanism maybe effectedwithout modification of the invention itself, as constructed and supplied from the factories.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in the embodiment of the invention, as will be more readily understood from the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein l Figure 1 is a top view of a complete system using mechanical refrigeration of the compressor-condenser-expander type, operated by an electric motor.

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the apparatus.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, v

there is illustrated a cabinet I0, which may be generally rectangular in form, equipped at its access side with doors I I, with conventional hinge mountings and fastenings, closing suitable openings in the front wall of the cabinet, these open ings being of a suitable height -to permit the introduction of erect milk cans I2 of standard size therethrough with facility. v

The bottom of the cabinet is set below the door opening, so as to form a shallow reservoir Ill', or such reservoir may be formed at a more limited area if desired, with the bottom sloping thereto. Racks or slides I3 are provided over the reservoir, upon which the milk cans may be supported out of contact with any water which may be standing in the lower part of the cabinet, as shown in the drawing, these racks being adapted to accommodate sliding movement of the cans thereon, and if desired, may be 0f any conventional form adapted to be extended outwardly from the cabinet, when required or desired.

The cabinet lthus affords a chamber I 4, in which a number of milkcans of standard size may be accommodated. Ordinarily, the cabinet will' be made so as to accommodate two cans on each side, or behind each door II, one behind the other, but if desired the cabinet may be made deeper, as indicated in Figure 4. However, it is considered preferable to widen the cabinet for enlargement of its capacity,l ordinarily. The top of the cabinet comprises va shallow Kreservoir Il,

the bottom ei whieh terms the top er the ehember I4, the sides of the reservoir Iii being coextensive with the sides of the cabinet, and the top of the reservoir comprising a removable lid It, set over the reservoir and retained in place by gravity, this lid having an opening therein with hinge cover I1 for access to the interior of the reservoir I 5 when desired, this opening being located at one side only of the device, leaving a substantial area of lid It available for the mounting of circulating pump and other equipment which may be desired.

Upon the lid there is mounted a water circulating pump 20, which may be operated in any manner, either by hand or by an electric motor 2| as shown, this pump having an intake lpipe 22, which is extended downwardly to the lowest part of the reservoir space I', and an outlet pipe 23 which is extended downwardly into the reservoir It. and continued as a coil 24, located close to the bottom of the reservoir I5 in the present instance, for a. reason which will be subsequently explained. The coil 24 has a terminal end vextended downwardly into the chamber I4, as at 25, this pipe being branched horizontally close to the top of the chamber I4, as at 26,.the extremities of these branches being equipped with spray nozzles 21 located over arbitrary positions in which the cans I2 will be disposed when introduced into the cabinet. The spray heads 21 will thus be located centrally over respective cans when introduced into the cabinet, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, and operated for a purpose which will be subsequently explained.

A smallquantity of water, slightly more than sulcient to illl the coil 24 is introduced into the lower part of the cabinet, ordinarily approximately `four or ve gallons being sufficient for a machine adapted to cool ,four to six standard milk cans. Upon operation of the machine, most of this water will be taken into the coil 24, and only a very small quantity will be in the bottom of the cabinet at any time, except when changing the supply. Any usual means for removing or draining the water'from the cabinet may be provided, these not being shown.

In the use' of the apparatus, a quantity of crushed iee is introduced inte the reservoir l5, and spread about over the coil 24, and the pump 2l operated to` draw water from the lower part of the cabinet and circulate the same through the coils 24 to the nozzles'21, where it will be discharged over the cans which may be set under the nozzles. Owing to the small quantity of s water which is thus circulated, it will be quickly cooled, and the coldest water will be discharged directly upon the cans, so that these are cooled at the upper parts, and along the sides, inducing a chilling of the milk immediately adjacent the sides and at the upper parts of the cans, so that the chilled milk at the sides will fall, drawing behind it .milk chilled at the upper part oi.' the cans, and the latter being replaced by warmer milk which will be displaced from the lower part of the cans upwardly by the more dense and heavier chilled milk.' Owing to the fact that the milk cans are supported out of the body of water which may run to the bottom of the chamber `I4 or accumulates to some extent therein, the milk in the bottom portion ofthe can is not further chilled beyond the temperature to which it has been reduced by the water falling along the sides of the can. In consequence, there is not established in the bottom of the cans a stratum of asszsaa l the coldest milk, but the milk at the bottom of the can will always be slightly warmer than thatk which falls along the sides of the can. Therefore there will always be a circulation of the milk in which the cooler portion will be falling at the sides of the cans and the warmer portion'rising in the middle, even at the lowest temperatures to which the milk is reduced in the chilling operation. 'I'his will serve to prevent cream from accumulating at the top of the can, as well as preventing accumulation of very warm milk In the uppermost part of the can, as will occur with the prior common cooling tank in which the milk is set in a deep body of chilled water. In auch prior apparatus, the accumulation of cream at the top of the can, together with the delay in reduction of the temperature thereof, if not complete failure to reduce such temperature, will result in development of a very high bacterial count in this upper portion of milk and cream, such development being further facilitated by the fact that the cream is'the more favorable medium for the bacterial development than the separated milk, and tends to become sour sooner. The cream being the most valuable content of the milk body, this function of my invention is extremely important.

Milk cans may be removed and introduced into the eahinet at any time, either with er without stopping the discharge of the cooling water.

In the present instance, n o valves are shown for cutting off the cooling water from any of the nozzle heads 21, the use thereof being discretionary.

In case it is desired to use the cabinet described with a mechanical compressor-condenser-expander system, it is possible to remove the cover I6 as a unit, after disconnection of the coil 24 and intake pipe 22, whichi may pass through suitable openings in the lid I6 and then permit lifting of the latter with the pump as a unit. The lid with the simple pump, or even the pump and motor 2|, may thus be removed and replaced by another lid having a similar pump denser.

corporated between the motor and pump, and

between the motor and the belt 33', so that the compressor may be operated without operating the pump when desired, and also so that the pump may be operated without functioning of the compressor, in order to attain the greatest beneilt from the power expended, and also to enable change of the water in the coil 24 when refrigeration is not required.

The coil 24 being located in the bottom of the reservoir I5, the alternate lid device I6 with the compressor unit and expansion coil mounted thereon may be set into place without disturbing the coil 24,the coil 33 being located under the lid so as to lie immediately over the coils 24. In case an absorption system is employed, the condensed refrigerant may be led ltherefrom to the reservoirvi in a suitable coil corresponding to that 33, and returnedtherefrom to the absorber element, in accordance with usual practices in such systems, these being well understood and therefore are not illustrated in detail herein, and comprising no part of my invention.

While I have disclosed with great particularity a speciiic embodiment of my invention in the best form which I have thus far devised, it will,

nevertheless, be understood, that this is purely exemplary, and that various changes in construction, arrangement and combination of parts, substitution of materials and substitution of mechanical equivalents may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, except as limited by the appended claim, wherein I claim:

A system of the character described, Icom-- prising a receiving chamber for receptacles to be cooled, `a reservoir separate from said chamber, a Water circulating coil in the lower part of said reservoir, a pump having a discharge connection with the inuent end of said coil and having an intake connection opening in the said coil having branched duct portions and respective terminal nozzles thereon, positioned in the upper partl of said chamber in arbitrary spaced relation, means to support receptacles tobe cooled in the chamber above normal liquid level in the chamber, said reservoir being constructed with its bottom constituting the top of said chamber, said water circulating coil being located close to the bottom of the reservoir, and

va removable lid constituting the top of said reslmay be lifted as a unit from said reservoir.

HOWARD B. GATES.

lower part of said chamber, the eiluent end of 

